Bacon! But wait it's made from coconuts?! Yup. Vegan coconut bacon. And it's really good you guys. The secret here is smoked paprika and liquid smoke. Seasoned with salty tamari, caramelized maple syrup, and spices, it really does taste like the real deal.
This coconut bacon is great on salad, as a snack right out of the jar (because hey, why not!), in sandwiches, or with eggs or veggies in the morning as a savoury breakfast. Or on waffles instead of chicken.
I made similar fake bacon with fresh coconut meat a few years ago but never ended up posting it on the blog because I figured not many people have access to fresh young Thai coconuts where they can scoop out the coconut meat - enter coconut flakes. So much easier! Instead of drying the coconut meat in the oven for hours, this "bacon" is done in 30 minutes and is just as delicious. Not gonna lie, the texture of dried fresh coconut meat is better than coconut flakes and more authentic (If you've ever had coconut "meat" jerky, it's the same thing) BUT who wants to spend over 5 hours drying coconut meat in the oven when it could be done so much faster? Right? Me neither so let's get some coconut flakes and make this!
What you need:
- avocado oil (or any other high-heat cooking oil)
- tamari (that's where the saltiness comes from here)
- maple syrup (caramelized sticky coconut bacon yes pls)
- liquid smoke (Easily the star of the show BUT if you can't find this, don't stress it and just use smoked paprika instead)
- smoked paprika (double bacon flavor)
- onion and garlic powder (for extra flavor)
- coconut flakes (the "meat")
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What recipes to use coconut bacon in?
- My "anything you have" salad - the one in the photos! (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, or any other vegetables you have on hand)
- Roasted Potato Salad with Dill Cashew Dressing
- Mexican Kale Salad with Cashew Dressing (it'd be great in place of the homemade veggie chips for some smoky flavor)
- Roasted Okra Quinoa Bowl (just skip the eggs here and add coconut bacon instead!)
📖 Recipe
Vegan Coconut Bacon
Vegan bacon made with coconut flakes.
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield2 cups 1x
- DietVegan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp liquid smoke
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp miso (optional)
- 2 cups coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F (150C).
- In a big bowl, mix together everything except the coconut flakes.
- Add the coconut flakes and let marinate for 15-30 mins.
- Bake for 20-25 mins tossing 2-3 times. The bacon will crisp up as it cools.
- Take out of the oven and let cool down completely before storing it.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Basics
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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Erum Zehra says
Is Tamari available in the spice aisle in grocery stores?
Louise says
I've never heard of coconut bacon before but it sounds delicious!
Louise x
Papa Jack says
It's super interesting, not much cholesterol and its super cool to make.
Monidipa says
I liked your option that if liquid smoke is not available we can use smoked paprika.The idea sounds really good. However although I have never tried vegan coconut becon I will try it out...
Marta says
Very intresting. I love coconut in amy form so will give this a try
aisasami says
This looks really yummy. I might have to make this sooN!
Renata says
This is absolutely amazing! My daughter is a vegetarian so this will be perfect for certain recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
blair villanueva says
This is absolutely amazing! I never thought that you can make coconut meat as bacon :)
Super healthy and yes, vegan.
Elizabeth O says
I love coconut but don't eat meat so bacon flavor won't be my first choice. But I bet we can substitute a different flavor with the coconut. Yummy.
AngelaKin says
This is really amazing! A crunchy and delicious meal topper made with whole food ingredients.